


Cartography

by CatLady86



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Kinkmeme, M/M, Past Suicidal Feelings, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 16:52:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11384376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatLady86/pseuds/CatLady86
Summary: When Noct returns 10 years later, he spends a night with Gladio before confronting Ardyn.He's surprised to see Gladio has so many scars on his body now. He touches, kisses them all and coaxes Gladio to tell him the stories behind them.https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/3892.html?thread=4972084#cmt4972084





	Cartography

Gladio lays on his stomach looking up at his newly returned King and lover as the younger man scans over his naked body, running his fingers over the sculpted planes before stopping on a raised strip of skin.

“What’s this from?” Noctis asks softly, tracing the marred skin with a single finger.

“Ronin. It slashed at a fellow Hunter but I pushed him out of the way and took the hit. I swung back though and took it’s head clean off.”

Noctis furrows his brows as he looks at the healed over wound. He leans down and presses a feather soft kiss to the scar before sitting back and continuing his journey. He stops at another wound, this one a deep puncture in his lower back just below the tail feathers of his tattoo.

“This?” 

“Hobgoblin, it charged me from behind as I was in a deadlock with another one, got skewered pretty badly.”

A kiss is placed to this scar as well, and the others he inquires about. Deep gouging scratches on his left hip from taking down a Deathclaw that had massacred a small group of refugees that tried to escape to Lestallum. The burn on his leg from when he was caught in a blast from a Grenade while trying to carry a wounded Hunter to safety. A thin line on the back of Gladio’s calf he questioned next, the tan man glowers and says _‘Tonberry’_ and they leave it at that. Noctis chuckles softly and peppers two kisses to the scar, then returns to the man’s back finding even more old wounds that distort his tattoo. 

“What happened here?” Noctis asks as he runs his fingers over multiple scratches around Gladio’s thick shoulder blade.

“Mindflayer. A young girl went chasing after her dog and ended up leaving the safety of the lights.” he says and grimaces. “I pulled it off her and it latched onto me. I killed it but, the girl she-” 

Soft lips press against this batch of scars before Noct leans up and captures his lover’s lips in a deep kiss. They moan into the kiss, Noctis laces his fingers into the other’s thick mane as Gladio rolls them to where he’s on his back and his lover lays flush against him. The King sits back and looks down at his Shield, marveling at him but also noticing how haggard he looks. He runs his hands down his chest finding multiple gashes, punctures, and skin discolorations from the ten years of darkness. Noctis feels a tightness form in his stomach, all of these wounds acquired from battles that could have been fatal, could have taken his love from him, it makes him angry. 

“Just what went through that thick skull of yours these past ten years, you could have died.”

“I needed a purpose, to continue living.” he says and becomes sullen. “After the crystal absorbed you, I lost my way. I was so drunk on depression and failure for a while that I threw myself at whatever Daemon crossed my path. A part of me wanting to get stronger for you if and when you finally came back to me, but also there was a part of me that wanted to die.”

“What gave you your purpose?” Noct asks stroking Gladio’s face softly with his finger.

“After one of my more daring attempts,” he begins and points to his gnarled right side, a chunk missing from his thigh along with multiple gashes and burns. “I was rescued by a small group of Hunters that were taking some refugees to Hammerhead. There were a couple of kids with them, one was a young boy who was very curious and chatty, asked me who I was. I told him about myself, then afterward the kid made this serious face and looked me square in the eyes. He said _‘My Pops always told me not to speak harshly to others, but Mister, you’re stupid and selfish. People are trying to survive out here and protect their families, and here you are trying to throw your life away like it doesn’t mean nothing to anybody.’_ Never thought getting a tongue lashing from a twelve year would light the fire in me to continue on. But I’m glad it did.” Gladio finishes and looks up at his lover with immense joy.

“I’m glad too.” Noctis says and presses his lips to the wounds, taking his time to lavish every inch of his blemished skin. 

He kisses his way up the brunette’s toned stomach but stops when his eyes fall upon the most prominent scar on his chest, a tiny smile on his lips as he lays his palm down on it.

“How did you get this one?”

“You know how I got that one.” 

“Tell me again.”

Gladio smiles. “From proving my worth as your Shield, by defeating the Blademaster.” he says and points to the horizontal scar on his forehead. “Same as this one.”

Noctis places multiple kisses across the large scar then leans forward and places one across the gash on the man’s forehead. He nuzzles the other’s face and presses a kiss to his temple where the two facial scars intersect and makes his way down the vertical scar.

“Your first.” Noct says softly.

“While protecting you, my darling King.”

Noctis chuckles softly and kisses the scar again. “I love you so much, my Shield. But promise me you won’t add any more of these for foolish reasons.”

“I promise.”


End file.
